by Myla Jackson
The woman turned enough that Brody could see her face. Young, girl next door, no makeup and the leather vest was cut in a low V, exposing more of her chest than it covered, the gentle swells of her breasts filmed with a light coat of perspiration only adding to her overall appeal.
“Please take a seat, sir. The waitress will get your order,” she said, her voice firm, her lips a soft pink and what Brody would consider highly kissable.
“I’m not sitting until I get my burger.” He stepped closer. “I might even have me a little taste of the cook while I’m at it.”
Brody took a step forward, putting himself between the cook and the burly cowboy. “The lady said ‘take a seat’.”
The cowboy raised ham-hock-sized fists. “You gonna make me?”
“No,” Angus said from behind Brody. “But we will.”
With a rustle of jeans and boots scuffing the ground, Angus, Colin and Jake rose from the table.
A waitress hurried over and hooked the big man’s arm. “Hey, cowboy, have a seat so that I can get your order. It will only take a minute.”
His eyes narrow, fists still clenched, the big man finally conceded. “S’long as I get my burger.”
“You’ll get it. Just no fighting.” The woman led him back to his table and took his order.
“Thank you.” The cook held out her hand. “I wasn’t sure I could take him.”
Brody chuckled when her grip tightened in his, strong and sure. “I’m betting you could.”
“Jessie Taylor.”
“Brody McFarlan.” Brody sniffed the heaven of grilled burgers. “Do you work here at the Ugly Stick Saloon?”
“Only for tonight.”
“Damn, those smell good.”
She shrugged. “I try.”
“Look, if you don’t have other work lined up, I have a proposition for you.”
Her brows dove into a V. “You jerk.”
Before Brody could guess what would happen next, she plowed a fist into his eye and he went down, the late afternoon sunshine fading into black.
Chapter Three
“Brody.”
A voice called out to him, dragging him from the darkness back to the light.
“Brody!”
He blinked his eyes and winced as he stared up at Angus leaning over him, his brows knit.
“Hey, you okay?” his older brother asked.
“What happened?” Brody turned his head, noting the other faces gathered around in a circle over him. Then the image of a pretty fist powering into his face replayed in his head and he pressed a hand to his aching eye. “She hit me,” he said.
“And I’d hit him again.” The cook held the spatula like a weapon. “The bastard propositioned me!”
“What’s going on?” A very pregnant woman waddled up to the crowd gathered around Brody.
“The chick decked him.” The big brute who’d backed down earlier busted out laughing, slapping a hand to his leg. “What a man.”
Brody sat up, pressing his hand to his sore eye. “Who are you?”
“I’m Audrey, the owner of the Ugly Stick Saloon. And you are?”
Brody shoved a hand through his hair. “Brody McFarlan.”
“One of the McFarlans, huh?” Audrey slipped an arm around the woman who’d hit him. “Are you all right, Jessie?”
“I’m fine, but that man came on to me, so I slugged him.”
Audrey stared down at Brody. “Is that true? Did you make a pass at Jessie?”
“Hell no. I told her I had a proposition for her. I wanted to hire her on as a cook for the Rafter M Ranch.” He pushed to his feet and swayed. “Damn, I guess I’m hungrier than I thought.”
Jessie’s eyes rounded and her mouth made an O. “I thought you were propositioning me.”
Audrey shook her head. “Oh, Jessie, sweetie, we don’t slug our customers. Serve Mr. McFarlan a burger, please. That’s a good girl.”
Brody settled on the bench.
Audrey snatched a chilled beer off the tray one of the waitresses carried and handed it to Brody. “Press that to your eye while I get some ice.”
Feeling like a pansy-ass wuss having been floored by a girl, Brody swallowed half the beer and then pressed the chilled bottle to his throbbing eye.
Audrey waved her arms. “Show’s over; get back to eating and drinking. Then when you’re ready for a real show, come on inside the saloon. Hell for Leather is playing and the girls will be dancing.”
As one, the men whooped and hollered, going back to their seats to finish off their beers and burgers.
Angus, Colin and Jake settled onto the benches around Brody.
“I’m thinking the diner might have been a better choice. How long has Mom been on strike?”
“Two weeks,” Colin and Angus said at once.
“Damn. I can’t cook.”
“I’ve tried, but I burned water,” Colin said.
Angus hung his head, staring at his hands. “The one time I cooked, we all ended up with food poisoning.”
“Yeah and it didn’t taste good going down or coming up.” Colin leaned forward. “So what did you say to Jessie, the cook?”
“I told her I had a proposition for her.” Brody winced as he pressed the bottle to his eye. “Apparently grilling for the Ugly Stick is a one-night deal and she doesn’t have any other job to go to. The burgers smell good. No one seems to be dying from them. I thought she could take on the job of cook for the ranch. At least while I’m in town. I don’t plan on starving or eating out every night.”
Colin nodded, his face splitting into a grin. “Damned good idea.”
“It was. Until she punched me in the face.”
“A simple misunderstanding.” Angus glanced over Brody’s shoulder. “Shh. Here she comes with a burger.”
The cook stopped next to Brody and slid a plate loaded with a burger and all the fixings under his nose. “Mr. McFarlan, I’m sorry I knocked you out. I thought you were coming on to me and…well…I misunderstood.”
“Jessie, is it?” Colin started.
Brody held up his hand. “Colin,” he warned.
His younger brother looked all innocent. “What? It was your idea in the first place.”
“And a bad one.”
“Not at all.” Angus smiled at Jessie. “Jessie, I’m Angus McFarlan. These are my brothers, Colin and Brody. We need…no…the Rafter M Ranch needs a cook. If you want the job, you can have it.”
Jessie chewed on her bottom lip. “I don’t know.”
“See? She doesn’t want the job,” Brody said.
“Oh, I want the job, but wherever I go to work I’ll need room and board, and a place for my horse.”
Brody glanced at the woman, his eyes narrowing. “Your horse?”
She tilted her chin up. “Yes, my horse. We’re kind of a package deal.”
“We have an extra bedroom in the house,” Angus offered.
Jessie’s brows pulled together. “One woman among three big men?” She shook her head.
“Three men and their mother. It’s actually her house and her ranch.”
“And your mother doesn’t cook?” Jessie asked.
“Long story,” Brody said.
Colin added, “The best part is that we have a few thousand acres. I’m sure we can find room for one horse.”
Brody fixed his stare on Jessie. “Your horse wouldn’t be the ugly brindle tied to the fence out back?”
She drew herself up to her full height, which was taller than most women, and said, “Scout isn’t ugly. He has character, and he’s mine.”
“Guys, we don’t know anything about her,” Brody argued.
“You were the one who first tried to proposition me,” Jessie shot back. “Why the change of heart? Just because I could put you down with one punch?”
“Hell no.” Brody realized that was exactly the reason. She’d embarrassed him in front of all those cowboys and his brothers. How could he live that down? Then again, it had been because of
a misunderstanding and his own poor choice of words. “Okay, okay, if you want the job, you can have it.”
“And Scout?”
Brody snorted, aware of the irony. “Yes, you and the horse you rode in on.”
Jessie flung her arms around his neck. Her breasts, in that ridiculous shirt with the fringe, pressed firmly against his chest, made Brody’s groin tighten and his throbbing eye twitch.
Colin pointed to the grill. “Your burgers are on fire.”
Jessie squealed and spun toward the grill, quick to put the lid down to smother the flames.
Brody shook his head. What had he just committed to?
Angus pounded his back, grinning. “Don’t worry, brother. At least we’ll have decent cooking. After we have that burger, Colin and I will head back to the ranch to grab a trailer for her horse.”
“Damned ugly horse,” Brody muttered. “Why am I not going with you?”
“You need to stay and make sure she doesn’t get away.” Angus’s lips twisted into a wry grin. “We need her.”
An hour later, the last burger was cooked. Jessie cleaned the grill and headed into the saloon as the sun gave a brilliant performance in its descent across the western horizon.
The cowboys had either gone back to take care of their horses for the next day’s rodeo events or gone inside to listen to the music and drink more beer.
Eager to help out any way she could, Jessie collected trash and dumped it in the bin behind the saloon. She took a brief moment to check on Scout, who had mowed all the grass in a half circle around the post he was tied to.
Jessie untied Scout and moved him and his water bucket to another post with more grass. “Don’t you worry, we’re going to have a new home with lots of hay and water and no Silas skimping on your feed.”
She patted her horse and turned.
Brody McFarlan stood several feet away, leaning against a fence post, his cowboy hat pulled down low over his eyes. The sunset behind him outlined his broad shoulders and trim waist.
He had been the one to bring up the offer to hire her, but after she’d punched him, he hadn’t seemed keen on having her come to work as the ranch cook. If she wanted it to work out, Jessie had to make things right between them.
“Mr. McFarlan, I’m sorry about the misunderstanding. I guess I was punchy after that big man, and, well, I’ve been in bad situations before.”
She crossed to him, tipped his hat back and winced. The eye had swollen almost shut and started turning a deep shade of purple. “I did that?”
He nodded. “Yup.”
“Your brothers kind of pushed you into following through with the offer to hire me. If you’ve changed your mind, I could just leave and you’ll never have to see me again.”
He shook his head before she’d finished her speech. “Can’t. My brothers went back to the ranch for the horse trailer. I was given strict instructions to keep an eye on you so you don’t get away.”
She frowned. “Are you sure you have a mother out at that ranch of yours? I mean, you aren’t going to take me out in the middle of nowhere and force me into slave labor or the sex trade, are you?” She chewed on her bottom lip. “You know, this is a bad idea. I don’t know you or your ranch.”
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I can call our mother and have her vouch for us, if you like.”
“Yes, please.”
He hit the number for home and waited. When his mother answered, he said, “Mom, have Angus and Colin made it home yet?”
He listened.
Jessie could hear a female voice talking.
“They didn’t tell you?” he said. “We’re hiring a cook and they’re bringing the trailer for the horse… No, the cook isn’t a horse. Here, say hello to Jessie and tell her it isn’t just men out at the ranch.” Brody handed the phone to Jessie.
She held it to her ear. “Hi, this is Jessie.”
“Jessie, so very nice to meet you. Well, to meet your voice, anyway. I’m glad the boys finally decided to hire a cook. I thought for a while there they’d be too stubborn and end up starving to death. But don’t you worry. I have a nice room for you next to mine, and if any one of my boys does something stupid, they’re not too big to turn over my knee.”
Jessie laughed, her gaze going to the cowboy leaning against the fence post. He had to be at least six two or three. The idea of his mother turning him over her knee was ridiculous. “Thank you, Mrs. McFarlan. I look forward to meeting you in person.”
She ended the call and handed the phone back to Brody. When their hands touched in the exchange, an electric shock zipped through her fingers and up her arm, making her tingle all over. She jerked her hand back and rubbed her arm.
“Feel better?” he asked.
Yes and no. Yes, that there was a mother at the ranch and, no, because of the shock she’d experienced touching the man. “A little. I’d better get back inside and see if there is anything else I can do for Audrey.”
“You’ll have to go around front. The back door locks automatically when it closes.”
“Oh, okay.” She hurried around the side of the building, annoyed that Brody kept pace with her, opening the door to the saloon for her.
Jessie wasn’t used to people opening doors for her. She’d been around cowboys all her life and then worked at a stable where she was the one to open doors for the clients who boarded their horses there. It felt strange and yet she found she liked it.
Audrey waddled by. “Oh, Jessie, I’m glad you’re done outside. Could I get you to restock the coolers behind the bar? Libby, the bartender, will tell you what to get out of the storeroom. Jackson won’t let me lift anything heavier than my purse.” She leaned close. “He has spies watching me.” She winked and hurried to help a waitress distribute drinks at one of the larger tables.
Jessie headed toward the bar, figuring one of the doors along the hallway behind the bar had to be the storeroom. As she reached the hall, a large woman built like a football linebacker stepped in front of her. “Employees only beyond this point.”
Not knowing who this woman was or where else to go for the alcohol, Jessie turned toward the bar.
A pretty woman with auburn hair, flashing green eyes and a towel thrown over her shoulder saved Jessie from guessing. “Hi, I’m Libby Jones, the bartender. You must be Jessie. Audrey said you’d be helping out as soon as we ran out of burgers outside.” She turned to the large woman. “Jessie, this is Greta Sue, our bouncer. Greta Sue, Jessie is an employee of the Ugly Stick Saloon for tonight. I need her to help restock the coolers.”
Greta glanced over Jessie’s shoulder. “What about him?”
Jessie and Libby turned as one.
Brody stood with his arms crossed. “I’m the muscle. If any really heavy items need lifting, I’m your man.”
Jessie bristled. “I can handle anything.”
“I can help too,” Greta Sue offered. As soon as the words left the woman’s mouth, a fight broke out between two cowboys on the other side of the saloon. “On second thought, I better go break up some of their fun.” Greta Sue pushed through the crowd bent on joining the ruckus.
“Sweetie…” Libby touched Jessie’s arm, “…let your man help. I’m down four cases of beer and two cases of whiskey. First door on the left is the storeroom.” She gave them the brand names of the alcohol she needed and raced back to the bar where a line of thirsty cowboys had formed.
“I can handle this myself,” Jessie insisted. Her father didn’t raise a weak female. And the work she’d done at the boarding stables had been arduous, building her muscles and keeping her lean and fit.
“You heard the bartender. She needs her hard liquor and beer restocked ASAP.” Brody pushed past Jessie and entered the first door on the left.
Jessie snorted. “Arrogant male.”
Brody poked his head out of the door. “I heard that. Remember, my brothers will kill me if I let you out of my sight.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Tonight, I wo
rk for Audrey. I’ve already agreed to come to work at the Rafter M. I can start tomorrow.”
“And how will you get from here to there?”
She lifted her chin. “I have Scout.”
“And we want breakfast bright and early. If I leave you to find your own way to the ranch, you might get lost.” He shook his head. “You’re stuck with me. So shut up and put up. There’s a saloon full of thirsty cowboys out there; you don’t want Libby to run out of booze. Such a travesty could cause a riot.” Brody’s dark eye glistened with humor. The swollen one caused her to rethink her stubborn refusal of help.
Jessie pressed her lips together. “Okay. You can get the whiskey cases. I’ll carry the beer.”
They took turns carrying boxes through the door and unloading them behind the bar, meeting back in the storeroom for the next cases and the next.
“I could use the Patrón next,” Libby said on their last pass. “It’s on one of the top shelves in the back. You might have to look for it. No hurry. I still have half a bottle left.”
Back in the storeroom, Jessie pulled a step stool up to the back row of shelves and climbed to the top.
“Do you want me to get it down?” Brody asked, standing at the bottom of the stool, his hands on either side of her.
Butterflies fluttered in her belly and warmth built deep inside, spreading outward. Jessie’s cheeks flushed and she had a hard time focusing on the boxes in front of her. The man affected her more than she cared to admit and having him hover beneath her was driving her crazy.
Focus.
She located the case of Patrón and pulled one bottle out of the box, handing it down to Brody.
He took the bottle and set it aside. “Now come down before you fall off that ladder.”
“I’m going to grab one more bottle.” Jessie pulled the bottle out of the box and bent to hand it down to Brody. With him looking up at her, she lost her focus again and, with it, her balance.
“Oh no.” She flailed with her empty hand, searching for something to grab hold of to steady her. Her hand only met air and she fell, clutching to her chest the bottle of expensive tequila. Strong arms reached out to catch her, breaking her fall.
Jessie crashed against Brody’s chest and sent him staggering a couple steps backward before he steadied himself, holding her close.
